


Games of Chance

by Watcherscrown (torchvixen)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Danganronpa 3 spoilers, Despair Komaeda Nagito, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fix-It, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Mind Games, Multi, no beta we die like killing game victims, speed chess, ultimate luck is the worst to fight against
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:54:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torchvixen/pseuds/Watcherscrown
Summary: Chiaki Nanami has a new identity in Towa City during the first killing game at Hope's Peak Academy. This goes to hell in a handbasket real quick when a certain Ultimate Luck working on the side of Despair shows his face.Now the former gamer needs to try to navigate to a best end, while hoping that Nagito Komaeda doesn't see right through her. What are the odds?
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki, Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Games of Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all,
> 
> We're going a bit squiffy with the timeline here (maybe). The story starts with Chiaki assuming an alternate identity at the end of Danganronpa 3. If you've watched the anime, you'll notice that we've gone a bit AU already here. She uses the name Rika Narukami in her new life, and she's quite happy working for the future foundation, thanks kindly.
> 
> Of course, that's not meant to last.
> 
> Starts off Komanami, will end up more Komahinanami... eventually.

She saw the pale hair from a distance, and hoped it was a specter that haunted the halls of Towa City. Her heart took a plunge as she saw the familiar smile. Swiftly pulling up her hood, Nanami ducked into her small office, locking the door behind her with a decisive click. Her assistant looked up from his computer, green eyes wide at the sudden movement. The Former Ultimate Gamer offered an apologetic smile at the disturbance, realizing she’d managed to shock the young man out of his work cadence. 

In return, Ryo Orihara peered at her curiously, “Ms. Narukami, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She took her seat, glancing at the nameplate.  _ Rika Narukami _ . It was not a name she was used to, even years after adopting it. “I’ll be fine, Ryo. I’m just a bit winded.” She sat down at her desk, contemplating the screen before her. 

The girl could feel eyes boring into her back as she started to type. Her mind was whirling, desperately trying to find explanations for the sight in the hallway, hoping against all odds that her mind had chosen a terrible day to play tricks on her. Behind her, Ryo cleared his throat, “With all due respect, Ms. Narukami, I don’t think that’s the case. You only start playing games this early if you’re stressed. Should I make some tea?” 

Chiaki looked up from her screen, noticing that she’d managed to wander into a platformer instead of her work portfolios and gave a brief nod in response. Ryo jumped up, grabbing the electric kettle. “I’ll be right back. You just keep doing what you’re doing.” 

True to his word, Ryo returned shortly and set to making the tea. Chiaki continued to clack away at her keyboard, but to her frustration, her mind wasn’t on the game. Not fully, anyway. Her assistant set a mug of Chai in front of her and she quickly took a sip, ignoring the burning sensation in favor of the sweet taste. Ryo rolled his chair over, bringing his tablet and own mug with him. The lanky youth smiled at her, “You wanna talk about it?” When she shook her head tersely, he nodded. “Right, let’s get into work, then! Maybe it’ll take your mind off your troubles.”

Chiaki wanted to fire back that work was a terrible way to keep someone’s mind off their troubles, but instead she clicked out of her game and gave the poor boy her full attention. “Okay, so we were looking at the movements of Ultimate Despair...I think?”

Ryo nodded vigorously, “Exactly! Now, in tracing their movements, they haven’t actually approached Towa City, which is why Munakata wants us holed up here. I guess being isolated from the rest of the world has it’s perks. Since the Hope’s Peak Killing Game started, they’ve been remarkably quiet, almost like they’re in some kind of holding pattern…”

The dread she was feeling earlier solidified as a lump in her chest. “A holding pattern, huh?’ She mused, “That seems suspicious. I don’t think that it’s merely luck that it’s so quiet here.” Her mind returned to the scene this morning, worrying at it.

“Okay, so what makes you think that?” Ryo swiveled his chair to regard her, taking a sip of his tea as he watched her innocuously. 

“It’s just that…” she hesitated, weighing how to hedge her theory. Ryo might work for the Future Foundation with her, but Vice-Chairman Munakata had urged her to keep her identity secret, even from other high ranking members of the organization. “I must be spooked, or working too much. I just feel like I saw someone that matched one of our dossiers earlier” she grabbed Ryo’s tablet, and started flipping through files. She took her time, looking at the twisted faces of her former classmates before settling on the one she knew she was looking for. 

Nagito Komaeda, Ultimate Lucky Student.

She peered into the boy’s green eyes before passing it back over. “Well, hrm. Maybe it was simply the wild hair? I could be off, I think.”

Ryo studied the profile, “No, no! If it could be a lead, we should look into it. Especially if it was in our backyard. Where did you see the maybe-Despair guy?”

“Ohhh, a few hallways down,” she ran fingers through her dyed hair, trying to appear nonchalant about the information. It was always easier in stories to deliver such exposition without suspicion. 

“What?” Ryo practically leapt to his feet, knocking over his mug in the scramble. “Oh, fuck. Oh fuckity fuck. You realize we’re in the government building,  _ right?! _ ” He righted the drink too late, scrambling for paper towels the duo kept in the corner. “Why didn’t you say so earlier, Rika?! We’ve got to go find the guy. And hopefully once we’re done harassing him, it’ll be the wrong person, right?” 

The girl laughed at his excitable air, despite the weight of the situation. “We can hope.” 

Ryo grabbed his jacket, gesturing wildly for Chiaki to follow. She hopped up and followed him, careful to pull her hood over her eyes. She wasn’t certain why she was so paranoid, truthfully. She was sure to stick to the plan she had concocted with Munakata to hide her identity. A cursory inspection would indicate that she looked nothing like Chiaki, down to the light colored contacts she popped in her eyes every day to look like the Vice-Chairman Kyosuke Munakata’s cousin. Still, she recalled how easily Nagito saw the truth of matters during their time in school, and the last thing she wanted was for him to realize that Chiaki Nanami was more alive than anticipated. 

If the Ultimate Despair discovered her, they wouldn’t stop until she was destroyed. Fingers flew to her chest, feeling the scar on her solar plexus, one of many from the last time she met the mastermind. 

“Was it this way?” Ryo called, already trotting down the wrong hallway in his haste.

“No! Follow me!” She set off at a jog down another corridor, careful to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. The pair navigated until they came to the open courtyard in the middle of the building. Chiaki gave a thoughtful glance to the elevators leading to the ground floor below, before approaching the railing to peer at the people meandering through. She was high enough to have a decent vantage point without drawing too much attention. 

Ryo slammed on the elevator button behind her before joining Chiaki at the railing. “Where on earth is this guy? I mean, he couldn’t have gotten in here without a badge,  _ riiiight? _ ” There was a hint of desperation in his statement, which Chiaki ignored in favor of scanning the crowd.

At last, she pointed. “There!” Even from this distance, the hair was unmistakable, and the same feeling of dread overcame her. She almost missed him just below her, chatting away to a nondescript office worker in a suit. 

Ryo brought up his tablet, comparing the man below to his file. “Well, the hair is longer, but they seem awfully...fuck, yeah. I think that’s him.” Deft fingers brought up the tablet’s camera as he leaned over the balcony to take photos of the group below.

“Be careful, Ryo,” she urged, “If that’s Komaeda, he’s  _ dangerous. _ ”

“Right, which is why we need to warn the authorities that a member of the Ultimate Despair is -- fuck, these angles suck,” he shifted slightly, “Let me just--”

Chiaki watched with horror as the tablet slipped from her assistant's fingers, plummeting to the stone below. She managed to bite back the shout that went with it. At that moment, the doors behind them opened with a ding. Before anyone could move, Ryo had grabbed Chiaki by the wrist, pulling her along to the elevator.

The ride down was tense, with Ryo muttering under his breath about the rotten luck they faced. He raced out into the courtyard as soon as the doors opened, and initially Chiaki was right on his heels before drawing up short. 

Nagito Komaeda, and it was unmistakably him now that she had a proper glimpse of his face, was holding Ryo’s tablet. He held it out to her assistant with a wide smile, “I’m sorry, did you drop this?” 

Ryo grabbed it nervously, “Yeah, slippery fingers. Thank you so much!” He glanced around, licking his lips nervously, “Is everyone okay?”

Her hands nervously pulled at her hood as she watched the scene,admittedly an old habit of hers. Ryo wasn’t adept at infiltration, and the kid was often an open book. She wanted to help, but reason dictated that getting too close to Nagito would tip her hand. 

Nagito shrugged in response, “It looks like that’s the case. Ahh, your screen is cracked, though.” The man’s smile grew somewhat sly, the sort he would give when trying to get information. “Interesting pictures you were taking, huh?” 

Her heartbeat was racing, and she hoped that Ryo would come up with an excuse and quickly disengage. Thankfully, he had one prepared. “Oh? Those? Sorry, I’m something of an amateur photographer and you’re just so very  _ pretty _ .” The last words were breathless, and she hoped they were attributed to Ryo’s shyness and not any ulterior motives.

“A photographer, huh? You know, I know a pretty famous photographer…” The man mused in response. Chiaki backed up, hitting the up button for the elevator, hoping that this would give Ryo the much needed hint to wrap it up. “If you have a business card, I can put you in contact with her.”

“T-that would be great, but I left my cards upstairs, you see?” Ryo’s voice was starting to sound strained. Chiaki looked around thoughtfully, hoping to find any sort of distraction

“Ahh, Ms. Narukami! How nice of you to come down! Won’t you join us?” A man stepped around Nagito, waving her over. “I’m just giving our new consultant a tour of the facilities. Mr. Ingestu, have you met Rika Narukami? She’s an invaluable department head upstairs. Really helps us knock out our research here...” 

She sighed to herself. Well, it would be hard for matters to get much worse at the moment. She really shouldn’t feel so surprised by the whole mess. Her hand flew up to her lips with a squeak, and with the other she nearly flailed frantically. The Ultimate Gamer simply couldn’t speak in front of her former classmate. He’d surely see through any disguise she had.

“Actually, Mr. Suda, Ms. Narukami has laryngitis, and we’ve run out of tea upstairs. I’m trying to convince her to go home, but she really should not be out in public right now.” Ryo shot her a look just as the elevator returned and she nodded, slipping inside. “Anyway, Thanks for giving me my tablet back. I probably have to fill out forms in triplicate to get it replaced. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Ingestu. Feel free to stop by when my boss is feeling better.” He laughed nervously, beating an almost too-hasty retreat. 

Chiaki let the doors slide shut once he was in, then hissed quietly, “Did you really invite a member of Ultimate Despair to stop by our office? The same one where we keep the Future Foundation’s  _ confidential _ information?” 

“Well, what’s the worst that can happen?” He laughed nervously, “I mean, he already caught me creeping on him.”

She could only groan in response. They beat a hasty retreat back to the office, but there was no way they could hide from the open air environment once they stepped out of the elevators. Chiaki gave a nervous glance to the courtyard below, eliciting an involuntary shiver when she noticed her former classmate watching her below. “Let’s hurry!” She hissed to her assistant, and before long they were in closed corridors leading to their office. 

When they were back to the safety, Ryo was breathless. “ _ That _ was a member of ultimate despair? The picture doesn’t do him justice. How is someone that pretty actually that evil?” 

Chiaki tried not to crack a smile at his flustered appearance. “He wasn’t always--” she huffed, out of shape. This was a dangerous path to tread down so she opted for a different topic of discussion, “He was watching me as we were getting out of there, I think.”

“Why would he be watching  _ you? _ ” Ryo asked incredulously, running his hand through verdant green hair in his distress, “I was the one that made an ass of myself in front of him!”

She paused before nodding, “Yeah, that makes more sense.” She shook her head, knowing that Ryo was likely right. Even if Komaeda was oblivious, this would surely stand out as an odd encounter. 

She knew that they wouldn’t be so lucky.

“So, what now?” Chiaki mused, “Obviously, we need to figure out what he’s up to.” 

“Should we call Munakata?” Ryo asked, nervously.

The Ultimate Gamer paused, weighing all the possible paths before her. Eventually, she gave a slight shake of her head. “I think we should prepare a log for if things go poorly. I worry...that if we draw Future Foundation’s attention to Towa City that Komaeda will simply run for it and hunker down to cause trouble elsewhere. And...and if it IS him, we’ll be able to tell soon enough. His talent is Luck, and odd events follow him everywhere.”

The boy next to her scoffed at that, “Luck isn’t much of a talent, though. It just means he lotteried into Hope’s Peak Academy. I mean, that’s good for him, but…” 

“Trust me on this. If we want to follow his progress, we should look for odd news stories or rumors. Things that shouldn’t be possible, and yet happen.” Chiaki felt awfully determined. 

“I’ll keep an eye out, boss!” Ryo said flippantly. 

She gave a brisk nod, “Now, I should probably leave.” The girl offered a brief smile, “Especially since I’m sick enough to have laryngitis.” 

Ryo chuckled at that, “Yeah, feel better by tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” 

She packed her bag, slinging it over a shoulder. “I’ll see you later.” She made her way downstairs, milling through the lunch-time crowd in the courtyard. Her shoulders tensed as she walked through, afraid to run into the group from earlier. As she reached out to the front doors, a voice stopped her. “Ms. Narukami, are you leaving?”

Chiaki glanced over to see the co-worker running the orientation group and froze. She cracked a hesitant smile, mind racing as she thought of ways to wriggle out of the conversation. Once she had watched a classmate call in sick by bending over as they spoke to emulate a sore throat, but she imagined it wouldn’t be so easy to replicate in front of the people she was trying to fool. 

Dark hair fell in front of her face, and she took a deep breath. Her hair and eyes should be different than Nagito remembered. She was Rika Narukami now, not Chiaki Nanami of Hope’s Peak High School. Still, she tried to pitch her voice lower. Ryo told them she was sick after all, “Ryo finally argued some sense into me. I’m going to rest,” she slurred. 

“Ah, well...feel better, then.” Her coworker shrunk away slightly, as if afraid to catch her illness. 

“I will,” she said, heading again towards her goal. As she did, she felt a hand at her elbow.

“Hey, let me carry your bag at least?” She glanced to the source, meeting pale grey eyes. Chiaki froze, resisting the urge to yank her elbow out of the man’s grasp. Still, her reaction did nothing to phase Nagito Komaeda. He continued to give his usual warm grin as he continued on, “If you’re sick you shouldn’t over-exert yourself, and that looks heavy.” 

“Oh no, I’ve --” she started to protest, only to be interrupted by the orientation leader.

“Good job, Ingestu. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” He said jovially, shutting the door to the conference room as if that was the end of it. 

Another light tug, and a plaster smile indicated that Nagito wanted to assist, whether she liked it or not. The ultimate gamer resisted the urge to puff her cheeks out childishly in her irritation, knowing the habit would be a clear tell from their school days. Instead, she offered another smile, albeit a hesitant one. “Mr. Ingestu, was it?”

An exuberant nod was given in affirmation as she allowed him to take her bag, “Kagami Ingestu. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” 

It was disconcerting how warm his actions were. Komaeda had always been soft-spoken and kind, and speaking to this person she could hardly imagine he was a member of the terrorist group known as Ultimate Despair. She instead gave him a thoughtful look. “Rika Narukami. I’m sorry if I’m not very talkative.” Overall, she was pleased with the rasp she was producing.

“Totally understandable!” He remained upbeat, squinting slightly against the harshness of the sun as they walked out of the building.

She stopped and turned to him, giving him her most winning smile. “Well, thanks for the help. I’ve got it from here.” She held out her hand for the satchel, a silent demand for him to relinquish the possession he held hostage.

His smile grew brighter, matching the intensity of the sun. The gesture somehow made her feel much colder. “Are you planning to walk home like that?”

Her features felt plastic, frozen in that awkward smile. Suddenly, Chiaki cursed the lack of acting lessons from Future Foundation. “Oh, not at all. I was going to take the train. I know you haven’t been in Towa city very long, but our public transportation is excellent, you see…” Her fingers reached for her satchel, trying to make the movement appear casual, but the bag was already retracted, reholstered on his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t have to take the train if you’re sick.” He protested, eyes wide. “Here, I’ll drive you home.”

The young girl shook her head, “No, it’s fine. Sick people take the train all the time and nothing bad happens.”

He chuckled at that, hand at her elbow to steer her away from freedom. “I insist. It would be terrible luck if the train broke down or something on your way home. Here, my car is this way.”

She followed along, mind embroiled in a plan to get her out of this predicament. As she did, a sleek black car pulled up and her companion opened a back door for her expectantly. Chiaki kept her face neutral as she slipped in, hoping that any signs of misery would be attributed to her supposed affliction. 

The girl offered a weak smile to the driver, and received a curt nod in return. Nagito slipped into the backseat next to her, “So, where are we taking you, Ms. Narukami?” 

At this moment, Chiaki could see the flags set for various routes in this game they were playing and none led to the good ending. Her mind whirled, and the young woman started to wonder if she was actually starting to come down with something. After all, she shouldn’t feel so light-headed from just this encounter. Then a new path opened before her. “Actually, could you take me to the local clinic? I think I should probably see a doctor for some medicine. They’re not far, actually.” She rasped out, letting her bangs obscure her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for him to see through the deception. Each moment she spent in his presence was a risk.

Thankfully, he acquiesced with an easy smile. “What’s the address?” 

Chiaki let out the breath she had been holding, before mumbling the clinic location. It was enough for the driver to catch her words, and the vehicle slid into motion smoothly. She gave a furtive look in Nagito’s direction, “Thanks for the ride, Mr...Ingestu, was it?”

He chuckled in response, “Oh, it’s nothing, really!” The words held enthusiasm, and she found herself wanting to believe in their sincerity. Her classmates often found him offputting at school, but she couldn’t deny that Nagito had an intensity that could draw people into his orbit. It was the fact they were captive soon after that made them uncomfortable. 

She shifted slightly, searching for a way to fill the silence. Normally she would pull out a book, or discuss work matters with those on the job. These were learned behaviors, ones used to mask old habits. Neither felt appropriate, so instead the Ultimate Gamer defaulted to small talk. It was enough to make anyone with talent dismiss her out of boredom. “So, are you going to be working at Towa Tower, then?” 

“Me? Only as a consultant, really. I’ll be all over the city helping with the Towa Group’s various endeavors.” The laughter seemed nervous, and she was pleased that her tactics were working. “Hey, Keisuke? Can you pull over here?” 

Reflexively, her head snapped up as the sudden motion of the car interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes darted about, taking in her surroundings. She had to see the next play on the board or…

It wasn’t what she expected, at least. The driver was steering the car into the parking lot for one of the local coffee shops. The man found a spot to park, and turned back to the pair in the backseat. “What will it be, Mr. Ingestu?” 

Chiaki noted the use of the alias, but kept silent. Either the driver didn’t know her companion’s true identity, or he was in on the ruse. This was fine. Thiswasfinethiswasfine. She continued to play the mental game against her opponent, keeping her ears peeled for any questions sent her way as the gamer pondered the problem set before her. The car crept forward as she let herself get lost in thought. After all, who could blame a sick person for being a bit out of it? 

It wasn’t until a warm Styrofoam cup was pressed into her hands that her attention snapped to the present like a clash of thunder. Nagito was smiling at her, handing over a warm drink. “Here,” he said, voice dipping low in an almost conspiratorial manner, “I got you some tea. You look like you need it, and I hear it helps with the hoarse throat.” There was something in the low tone that made her pause, but she smiled and mumbled thanks before raising the cup to her lips. 

The taste of chai almost choked her and for a second she was worried she would give herself away. Images of flinging herself out of the vehicle and running away, begging Munekata for another assignment as her cover was surely blown and her time in Towa city was over. Why this blend? Why not the typical boring orange pekoe that most places served as default or green tea? Why not an earl grey or macha? 

Her enemy and former friend immediately was rubbing her back as she sputtered, light eyes observing her calmly as he said soothing words. “Are you quite all right, Ms. Narukami? I hope you’re not allergic to chai. I thought the spice might help but,..” he trailed off, “Ah, just my luck to be wrong about this sort of thing.”

_ That’s not true.  _ Chiaki wanted to protest.  _ You know it’s my favorite. The favorite tea of a girl that died while you were in high school. _ The game had grown more dangerous. 

Chiaki needed desperately to win, but worried that she was hurtling towards the Bad End. Could she salvage this playthrough, or would she need to scrap it?    
  


The Ultimate Gamer had faith in her own abilities, but games of chance had a tendency not to play fair.

**Author's Note:**

> Next time: 
> 
> A trip to the doctor when you're not sick with your old friend in tow? Seems like it'll go well! 
> 
> Notes on names: I named Chiaki's alt identity after two of my fav non DR game properties. So she's Rika after Rika Furude from higurashi no naku koro ni and Narukami after the canon name of the Persona 4 Protagonist. 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
